This invention relates to a couch for reliably reclining a completely or partially anesthesized patient, without compression sites or strains, to be used for instance in the contactless nonevasive comminution of kidney stones or renal calculi by means of acoustic shock waves.
The procedure of comminuting kidney stones, shock waves are generated by igniting an underwater spark gap and are focused by a reflector and guided into the body of the patient where they comminute the calculus (U.S. Pat. No. 3,942,531). To be capable of coupling and decoupling the shock waves in an injury-free manner, the body of the patient is supported in a tub filled with degassed water. The renal calculus is located by X-rays. The patient must be positioned precisely so that the calculus is located exactly at the focus of the spatially stationary shock wave reflector, and the body must be maintained in this position for a substantial period of time. The patient is completely or partially anesthesized during the shock wave treatment.